Fruit grader



March 26, 1929.

J. c. scHoFlELD 1,706,548

FRUIT GRADER Filed Jan. 24, 1928 y 32 l I 49T' 3/ 29 30 n V Patented Mar. 26, vi929.l

JOHN c. scHorIELnoF Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT GRADER.

Application led January 24, 1928. Serial No. 249,044.

This invention relates to apparatus for mechanical grading or sorting of citrus and other fruits.

An object of the invention is to combine with the ordinary fruit conveying belt used to facilitate sorting of fruit by hand, a mechanically operated ldevice for grading the fruit according to size which lwill greatly expedite work 'of thischaracter.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus which will improve upon prior devices of its class with respect to gentle handling ofthe fruit, simplicity of construction, more dependable and more easily regulated control and adjustment together with various other objects rand advantages which may appear hereinafter during the course of the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawing. which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, l

Figure l is a planfview of the device with part broken away. l ,y

Figure is a section on linev 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section detail on line S34-3 of Figure l, illustrating the pre fer-red means for removably attaching ythe i fruit grading rollers to their shafts.

Figure 4: is a vertical cross sectionon line L-l of Figure 3. Y

Referring in detail to the drawings, beV

tween the two side belts 7 and 8, which are mounted in spaced relation to each other, is y belt 9, said belts 7 mounted an intermediate and 8 being provided with means for 'driving'them in the same direction, and belt 9 being mounted ,-.for being simultaneously driven in .the opposite'direct-ion, the large arrows in Figure l indicating the direction in which these belts are all to be driven.

The upper runs slantially the saine level. 10 and 1l designate the rollers whereby belts 7 and 8 are siutported and driven.V l5 Vldesignates a roller which supports the intermediate belt 9, all of these rollers being supported by a common shaft 16, it being understood that a like set of rollers (not shown) will be located at the other end of the machine.

Above the outside belt 7, at one side of the machine is mounted a grading roller in pa allel spaced relation to said belt 7 and extending on the biais from the outer edge thereof to a point beyond the inner edge thereof as clearly shown in Figure vupon shafts 26 and 27, the

of these belts 'are on sub# l. Over the belt 8 is mounted a correspond ing roller which is likewise slightly spaced c above the belt 8 and is on the bias with relation thereto, and like the roller 20 is so positioned as to extend from the outer edge of the belt whichy it overlies to a point beyond the inner edgeof said belt. This. relative arrangement of theA sleeve rollers 2O and 25 makes it possible to respectively support them shaft 27 having fixed thereto a driving bevel gear 28v and the shaft 26 having fixed to it a driven bevel gear 29. Y The shaft 27 is provided with an extension 30 having fixed thereto a driving gear 31 in mesh` with a gear 32 of the motor (not shown).

Shaft 26 is supported by bearing sleeve 33 which is secured to the lower side of an angle iron support 34 which extends from side to side of the mach ine,being at its ends attached tok and supported bythe side pieces 35 of the frame. Said bearing sleeve 33 may be attached to said hanf-34;- by any suitable means;

, used in connection with both of said rollers.

In this view i0 designatesa spool whichV .is

secured within the en'd portionv of sleeve 26 in fixed relation to said sleeve.

Said' spool is adapted to telescope on to shaft 26 which is provided near its end with a key 41, the projecting portion of which is adapted to pass through an internal leyway 4:2 with which spool 40 is provided, so that spool 40 may readily be placed upon shaft 26 and then turned to the position shown in Figure 3. One end of spool 4l() is provided with a cam face 43 adapted to cooperate with key il to force the other end of spool 40 against a collar which is attached to shaft 26. Said lrey il is thus wedged against cam face 43 in suoli. a manner as to clamp sleeve 2O (01125).

ioo f 49 designates the driving shaft and 50 the between the lower sides of rollers 20 and 25 and the upper surfaces of the belts located theii'ebeneath, is such as to permit the smallest size of fruit to be conveyed underneath said rollers and discharged at the front end of the machine by the outer belts. But by rorating the grading rollers in the direction indicated by arrows in Figure 2, fruit which eliminating the smallest size. It is to be understood that all fruit under the minimum size must always be excluded as falling below the required standard, and therefore such fruit need'not be manually handled in order to sort it according to color, firmness of texture, state of maturity, etc.

Vhen it is desired to exclude only fruit that Ais still smaller, the rollers 20 and 25 will be loosened by rotating them till the key dl aligns with the key-way l2 (Figure and then said rollers will be removed and larger rollers Valso equipped with spools 4 0, will be replaced upon the roller shafts; or if it is desired to allow larger fruits to be excluded by the machine, smaller rollers will be mounted upon the roller shafts.

lt will be observed that the grading rollers and their supporting` shafts form a V-shaped structure the apex of which is directed towards the front end of the machine.

I claim:

l. ln a fruit grader, in combination,- a belt having an upper run adapted to support and convey fruit, a roller above said upper run in parallel spaced relation thereto extending to va lateral edge thereof and on the bias with relation to the upper run of said belt, and means for rotating said roller in a direction tending to brush back fruit conveyed thereagainst by said belt, said roller being constructed and arranged to deliver one size of fruit over said lateral edge of the belt while permitting another size of fruit to be conveyed beneath it by said belt.

2. In a fruit O'rader in combination two parallel belts arranged in spaced relation to each other, means -for supporting and rotating said belts to convey fruit therealong in the same general direction, and a pair of grading rollers eachA of which is mounted above one of said belts and in parallel spaced relation thereto on the bias with relation to the belt which it overlies, and means for sin'iultaneously rotating said rollers in a direction tending to brush back fruit brought in contact therewith by said belts and to move the fruit toward and deliver it to the space between said belts.

.ln a fruit grader, in combination, two parallel belts arranged with their adjacent'. edges in spaced relation to each other and with their upper runs on substantially the same level, meansfor supporting and rotating said belts to convey Afruit therealong in `the same general direction, a pair of grading rollersv each of which is mounted above one of said belts in parallel spaced relation thereto and on the bias with relation to the belt which it overlies, means for rotating one of said rollers in a direction ten-ding to brush back fruit brought in contact therewith by the beit -which it overlies and tending also to nieve the fruit into the space between said belts, a bevclled gear in iiXed relation to said roller, another beveled gear in mesh with the iirst mentioned beveled gear and also in tixed relation to the other roller, and a third belt occupying the space between the two lirst mentioned belts and positioned to' convey away said rollers.

t. In a fruit grader, the combination with a fruit transporting belt, of a fruit ading rollermounted above said belt, a shaft to which said roller is removably secured, and an elongated bearing for said shaft, said bearing forming a stable support for said roller, said support being located solely at one end of said roller in order to leave a clear space under the other end of said roller.

ln testimony whereoflr aliiX my signature.

JOHN C. SCHOFIELD.

the fruit delivered thereto by 

